Friday, May 29, 2009

Chinese Cemetery in Greenville, Mississippi

Entrance to Chinese Cemetery, Greenville, MississippiPhotographed by Janice Tracy, May 27, 2009During a recent tour of the Mississippi Delta, we stopped by to see the Chinese Cemetery in Greenville, Mississippi. I had heard from sources in Greenville that this cemetery is unique, in that it is the only Chinese Cemetery in the State of Mississippi. The cemetery is located less than two miles from downtown Greenville, in a peaceful residential setting, surrounded by trees. According to our contact in Greenville, the cemetery across the street from the Chinese Cemetery is an African American cemetery that contains the grave of a freed slave and well-known Confederate veteran, who accompanied Teddy Roosevelt on his infamous "bear hunt" in Mississippi.

The entrance to the Chinese Cemetery is pictured above. Although the gates to the cemetery were locked, I was able to get a photo of the graves from the street.

Chinese Cemetery in Greenville, MississippiPhotographed by Janice Tracy on May 26, 2009

The history of the Chinese families who settled in Mississippi is an interesting one. Like other ethnic groups that settled in towns along the Mississippi River, they played a vital role in the development of the economy of the towns in which they lived.